I've heard this too many times now to not make this the next book I read.

I'll have to check them out. Thanks!

I think I said this exact thing last time somebody brought up the Count. Then I couldn't help picking up the book again.

I always order a ton of books at Xmas that do me for most of the year and Count of Monte Cristo is in there. Looking forward to it

I'm halfway through Murakami's Kafka on the Shore. I love everything about this book, so ****ing awesome. Murakami has now officially joined Jonathan Franzen in my prestigious Top 5 Current Novelists list.

A couple months ago in California I went to a concert and sat next to Viggo's ex-wife. I don't believe I impressed her much.

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Who are the other 3?

I'm currently reading Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress. It is divided into four parts (called books), each one set many years after the previous part. The first of them is the same as the Hugo and Nebula winning novelette. I'm about to finish the third part. So far, the first one is awesome (I had read it before) and the second one is also very good. The third part has been kind of boring. I don't know if I'll be able to continue the book because now I'm sort of hooked by the latest Neal Stephenson book (coauthored with Nicole Galland) titles The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O). I'm only a few chapters in, but it's been really fun so far.

Finished The Man with the Little Dog by Georges Simenon. Classic Simenon psychological story, very good.

Started re-read of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

Re-reading Get Shorty and Unknown Man #89 by Elmore Leonard.

Started Stoner by John Williams.

Has anyone read The Outsider by Colin Wilson?

I have not made it through Anna Karenina. #respect

I'd put John Irving in there on the strength of his early novels, but I've given up on his recent ones. Philip Roth is in there even though I appreciate his books more than love them. He's getting it done, I'll say that.

I might put Walker Percy in there even though he's dead. Walker Percy hits me just right. That's 5!

Now, what's with all the American white guys? Good question.

Chase...I read SPQR some time back stimulated to do so by one of Robert Harris' novels of Ancient Rome. Your summary reminded me of all I forget now days. The latest NY Book Review has an essay and review by Beard called Reconstructing Ancient Rome.
I'm currently finishing two works of(on) genius. Firstly Jennifer Ackerman's The Genius of Birds. As I read it I'm constantly reminded of the old Fire Sign radio line "everything you know is wrong". i hesitate to throw random facts from it since it's the fabric itself that is so amazing. I'd read Heinrich's crow/raven books so thought this would be more individual anececdotes of a few species. So much more. Bowerbirds for instance...and the nature of art (birds can distinguish types of art say cubism versus Impressionism as well as individual works)
I'm also slowly going through Denis Johnson's Jesus'Son a work of genius. Listen:
"We would be put in handcuffs. We would be put a stop to and it wouldn't be our fault."
Or "we hadn't yet mentioned our names. We probably wouldn't. In barrooms I lived this over and over." Or "He was in his fifties. He'd wasted his entire life. Such people were very dear to those of us who'd wasted only a few years. With Kid Williams sitting across from you it was nothing to contemplate going on like this for another month or two."
Any young Bukowski fan will be jerked by their lapels and shook...there's barber shop writing and Johnson's writing where for a moment there is a glimpse of "The Obscene Bird of Night."

Took me a few weeks but I finished Wizard and Glass. Really enjoyed that one.

Going to read little sisters and keyhole before starting on last 3

Who is your top 5?

I just did that!

Other than Murakami, of course.

I read it in my twenties and thought it transformative. I'm not sure how it would hold up now.

I liked it so much that I read one of his novels (The Sex Diary of Gerard Sorme) and one of his non-fiction follow ups to The Outsider and went to hear him speak when he came to my grad school -- and concluded from that further sampling that he was a flake ...

Still, The Outsider shaped my further reading for a while. No regrets.

Read Colin Wilson's book many years ago, mostly for his take on Blake. Not great literary criticism but sort of a fun read.

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I like Colin Wilsons fiction and non fiction. It's fun.

Cormac Mccarthy didn't make the cut?

Why am I finding it hard to continue with Anna Karenina after starting it and even after restarting it? I read The Brothers Karamazov when I was younger so it's not like I'm averse to heavy Russian lit.

I just finished Anna Karenina recently, and while it certainly wasn't bad or anything, I only really forged my way through the second half on the strength of having always wanted to check that book off of my bucket list.

I think that the core Anna/Alexandrovich/Vronsky stuff is compelling pretty much throughout, but I was far too often bored with the side adventures of Levin.

Admittedly, my ignorance with regard to Russian history of that time likely hindered my experience.

I like the idea of people sharing their "top 5" (living or not, whatevs). I think we are all here to share ideas on what to read, and what we like or don't like, so could lead to some good info being put up here.

my top 4 living + 1 deceased. Not saying these are the 5 actual best, just my best personally. and in no specific order

Ben Lerner
Sergio de la Pava
Evan Dara
Cormac McCarthy
Nathanael West

I keep meaning to read something of his, long overdue.

Blood Meridian is OK.

First hit and prolly my favorite hit by Hurakmi Murakozi.